My name is Tarek Shaath. I’m a 2nd year dermatology resident at Florida State. We’re a new program at FSU and I was one of two inaugural residents. With that, my co-resident and I had no senior residents to help guide us with respect to managing patients, prescribing medications, or studying. We had to navigate clinics and find resources on our own, without help from people in our shoes. Nothing was handed to us.

One of the most daunting tasks as a new resident is knowing what to do when a patient presents with something as simple as advanced acne or rosacea, or as vague as diffuse pruritus, or as complex as vasculitis or lower extremity ulcers. For something even as simple as tinea capitis, which antifungal should you prescribe? Which labs do you want to order before starting someone on azathioprine, or cyclosporine, or a biologic? There is an enormous fund of knowledge young physicians need to have at their disposal in order to practice dermatology. I knew I couldn’t absorb all of this information quickly, so I started creating a dosing card early in my residency. Over the past year and a half I’ve scoured recommendations from authoritative textbooks and articles in dermatology from Bolognia, Wolverton, and others. What I came up with is a broad and detailed pocket card that explains how to manage common dermatologic conditions, how to workup complicated presentations, and how to dose and manage complex systemic drugs. Another important section includes physical treatment modalities. How to start a patient on phototherapy (PUVA/nbUVB), photodynamic therapy (PDT), and which lasers to use for different conditions are all important.

Dermatology residency is a quite the humbling experience. It is one of the few fields where young residents who have previously been at the top of their class in medical school arrive on day one and feel completely lost. I created this dosing & management card from that exact perspective. From the viewpoint of a first year resident who did not know how to practice dermatology. Although this card is intended for dermatology residents, it will unquestionably help any medical student raise their capability to take care of patients and thus shine on a rotation. As a medical student on dermatology rotations I was dumbfounded with complex patients and medicines. I had no clue where to start or what to do. Its questions like these that this dosing card answers.

This card is exquisitely detailed and has over 4700 words; it is not meant to be read from start to finish. It is meant to be used as a reference tool in the clinic on a case by case basis. Once you know with which disease process or symptom your patient presents, proceed to finding the corresponding diagnosis or presentation on the front side of the card, and follow the recommended management and treatment steps. When you intend to prescribe a complex systemic medication, find the medication on the back of the card and make sure to order the recommended baseline labs prior to starting the medicine while also understanding the medication’s side effects and interactions.

With your purchase of this reference card you are supporting my passion to create valuable learning tools and disseminate knowledge in a digestible, accessible manner. I would appreciate you sharing this card with your colleagues. My intention is to raise awareness about this pocket resource since no such resource exists specifically for dermatologists and those pursuing the field. I will always keep the price low, and the little proceeds generated will be given to charity.

Detailed card contents listed in eBay link. Click to purchase on either eBay or Amazon! And check out my website for additional resources, including a dermatology-focused question bank.